38 Watercolor artist | AUGUST 2019
demo
Rain in the City
Color mixing is key in Djukaric’s step-by-step demonstration on how to paint
a rainy cityscape with bright refl ections and the perfect amount of detail.Step 1
I first outlined the contours of the basic
composition with an HB pencil on Arches
140-lb. rough paper. I’m not looking for
precision at this point. I painted a light,
tranquil sky using cobalt blue, Naples
yellow and Naples yellow reddish. While
the paper was still wet, I added red
details on each side using cadmium red
deep, and immediately went on to paint
the building. I used Naples yellow reddish
and burnt sienna, which I kept adding to
darken the bottom of the building, taking
care to leave some of the white surface
of the paper. On the right-hand side,
I made sketches of trees using cobalt
turquoise and a little bit of Naples yellow.Step 2
Next, I washed the paper with a large
brush in a relaxed way to add a pale color
in the foreground, which creates a glassy,
reflective surface for a later stage. I moved
the brush spontaneously with strokes that
brought out the white of the paper in
places. I also added some details, like the
red areas on the wet asphalt.Step 3
Here, I mixed Naples yellow reddish and
burnt umber and started to paint the right
side of the building, taking care to omit the
windows. I added a little bit of cobalt blue
light so the colors mixed on the paper. This is
a beautiful detail that’s important for several
reasons: First, the color of the building will
spill over, and second, the paper will stay
wet longer, which will allow me to make
corrections if necessary.
Then, I went on to paint the dome. At this
stage, I look for the details in the building
that will lend character, taking care to leave
out the lamps and windows and preserve
the white of the paper.Step 4
I painted details on the right-hand side
of the building, adding the roof for which
I used cobalt blue light and neutral tint
with a little cobalt turquoise. Then
I focused on the details around the kiosk.
With a spatula, I removed excess paint
from some details and then pulled off
the wires that spanned the buildings. In
the end, I finished the lamps, which gave
an extra dimension to the painting and
intensified some details on the building.